1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to brackets and clip mechanisms for securing utility racks to various vehicles and, more particularly, to different types of gutters and anchors provided on such vehicles.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is frequently necessary for owners of vehicles, such as cars, to install on the roof thereof a utility rack in order to carry on the utility rack various objects which are either too awkward or too large to be positioned within the vehicle, whereby it becomes preferable to carry these objects on the outside of the vehicle. Accordingly, many utility racks have been designed to be fastened to the vehicles with a view of carrying objects, such as skis, bicycles, sailboards, etc. Regardless of the areas of attachment to the vehicle, a carrying device such as a utility rack must meet certain criteria. For instance, the utility rack must be firmly attached to the vehicle and remain secure during all of the normal motions encountered by the vehicle, such as acceleration, deceleration, turns, and also sudden movements. The attachment points have to be firm and must be able to bear the weight of the intended load. The carrier should be easy to attach to and remove from the vehicle. If the carrying device is basically permanently mounted to the vehicle, the vehicle should not require any alteration whatsoever and should retain its original appearance if the carrying device is removed therefrom.
It is already well known to mount the utility rack in the grooves defined in the gutters which are located along the longitudinal edges of the roof of the vehicle, these gutters being called outside gutters as opposed to inside gutters which refer to gutters which are only visible when the doors of the vehicle are open. Various vehicles are now provided with different configuration of gutters as well as, in some cases, with anchors disposed in these gutters. It is thus necessary to provide utility racks having various anchoring mechanisms in order to allow them to be securely fastened to the vehicle.